Sheet control for printing presses and the like



May 26, 1925. 1,539,501

J..P. E. NEIL SON SHEET CONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filed March 4, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Inveidor:

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May26, 1-9215.- 1,539,501

' J. P. E. NEILSON SHEET- GONTROL FOR PRINTING PRESSES AND THE LIKE Filkad ya hfz, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Joan/11E: Wei 180%, b 41,,

Patented May 26, 1925;

STA Parana JOHN E; new orbv n week a s:we e s FACTURING comrANY; OF'BO'S'TON', Massacausmr a cemea mma ohm-Assaones-mes.

s zinnrcoh'rnoL r-oa rnm' rme rrtiissns inn-I) LIKE;

Application filed'March 4, 1922.- SerialNo. 541,206.

Be it known that 1, JOHN P. E. NniLso N, a citizen'oi the United States, and a resident of Quincy; county of Norfol k and State of lvlassach-us'ett-s, have invented an Improve ment in Sheet Controls for Printing 'Presses and-the like, of which the following-description, in connection w itlrt he accompanying drawings, is a specification, like characters on the drawings representing li'keqpa-rts.

This invention relates to means for controlling the i eed of'sheets of paper as, for example, in'printing' presses; The object'is to provide "simple and convenient- Inec-l-ianism whereby apaper sheet-may be spread out perfectly SHIOOtlFZtS, for example,- in ad Yancing it over a support to a printingcouple to be printed upon. This action'i's part-icularly "necessary in the case of multi-color presses in'which one impression is made over another and any inaccuracy of feeding or unevennesso'fthe sheet would destroy the register. lVllile my invention'niay be enlbodied in variohsforms it-is markedly-use fill in connection with a press of tl1e t-y;pe

shown in the patent-to Charles A. Meisel, No. 1,399,360; dated December G,- 1821, and for purposes of illustration 1 have here shown an embodimentthereof as applied to such a press.-

Thisspecificeinhodiment of my invention will best be understood by reference to the following description taken in connection with the accompanyingdrawings,wherein:

Fig; 1 is a diagrammatic View of certain elements of a ringrgear,-multi-color, multicouple press 'of' the type shown in the patent referred to;

Fig. Qis a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1 on an enlarged 'sca-le;

Fig. 3'is a'brokens'ection taken in -a plane parallel to'oneofthe ri-nggears' and on an enlarged scale; and

Fig.- l is a section on-the line el-il of Fig. I

Details of construction of a ring gear press of the type referred toherein aredis closed in the "above nientionedflpatentof Charles A. Meisel. The essential elements necessary to an understanding of-my inveir 'tionas applied-to"a-zpress-of this-type are si'ifficient'ly illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Such'ra press may embody 'a sheet carrier comprising (see Fig; two ring gears '7 supported i-nparallelism on l the franie'oftlie-inachine tsee Fig. 1) by rollers 9 and connected inter-r als by gripper bars 11, the whole having somewhat the appearance of a lanternwheel; Gnrotationjof the ring-{gears the gripper bars 11 sweep through a cylindrical path and carry the paper through a series ofrotary printing.couples comprising impres'sion cylinders 13; and plate cylinders 15,-the contact lines;oi" which eor res'pond'to elements of the cylinder, using that word in its geometrical sense, Sheets ofqpa-perare delivered-to the gripper harsloy a suitable 'l'eeding in mechanism which n ay embody-a cylinder 17 tangent to "the cylin dr-ieal pat-h exteriorly thereof anjdfa transfer cylinder 19 tangent at the same pointinte riorly and may be delivered froiirthe press by a transfer cylinder-21 interiorly tangent to the: path and a delivery cylinder or si milar mechanism 23, all "as snore fully Idescribed'in thepatent-referred to.

To support the sheet as it passes through the printing-couples suitabtleffixed support"- ingsur taces 25 may be provided whic'h coi respond to segments of aycyli'nder. he gripper "bars travel "around the l cylindrical path-at Xed linear speed and the pap'er, supported throughout in this path by; the supports 25, is moved at a ixe dspeed dur- .ing the printing operation withallportions thereof at an unvarying curvature. It will be understood that theseconditions are most favorablefor accurate registry of suecessii'e impressions by the printiiig couples provided that the sheet is extended smoothlyin the cylindrical surface and held against Wrinkle-or vibration; My invention as ap. plied to a press'of this type insures such action. x In accordance with my invention the-sheet held byone of the gripper bars lll istensio-ned rearwardly therefrom and ironed out over the supports 25 and 'for'this purpose the left hand edge of sucl i support, viewing Fig; 1, may be utilizedas'thepaper-is drawn the outer surface-thereof atmargins or other portions of the sheet-which are notgto receive an 1mpress1on. These tapes 27 are se cured to the gripper barand are resiliently extended therefrom, in the present instance by being secured to a spring roller 29 carriedby and extending between'the ring gears 7 at a suitabledistance rearwardly from the gripper bar. The spring roller tends to wind up the tapes 27 and withdraw them to the position sho-wnat the bottom of Fig. 1

where they extend chord-like across the cylinder. The gripper bar, advancing clock-.

wise in the figure, receives the sheet at the inner side of the tapes 27 from the transfer cylinder-l9. After passing through the first barto its free followingend and smoothing it perfectly over the accurately formed "surface 25. The tapes 27 yie'ldingly clamp each successive portion ofIthe sheet against the surface as it passes thereover and they holdit as a whole smoothly and firmly on the successive surfaces as the printing operation'proceedsbut always, by the cooperation of such surfaces .25, smoothing it and tensioning it rearwardly from its leading edge where it is held by the gripper 11.

Referring to Figs. 3 and 4, I will next describe a suitable-method of securing the tapes or similar strands 27. It will be unders'tood that the tapes must make contact with the sheet at points where no printing is to take place and these'unprinted margins may occur'at'different places. It is there fore desirable to mount the tapes so that they maybe shifted laterally as desired.

Herein (see Fig.3) the tape passes under the rear edge 31 of the gripper bar 11 on -which the gripper fingers close, passes over the rock shaft which operates these fingers, and passes through a slot 33 in the front wall of the gripper bar where it may be toggled or otherwise suitably secured. I have found it convenient'to utilize asection of a helical spring 35 as a toggle for securing the tape. Obviously the tape maybe shifted laterally in'the slot Referring to Figs; 3 and 4, the roller-29 may be provided with a diametrical' slot 37 and, as best shown in Fig. 4, the end of the tape may be passed through this slot and the. 'end caught underneath a turn of the. tape encircling the roller, this efficiently securing it in position in a manner readilycast ofl, if desired. The .slot 37 7 provides forlateral adjustment of the tapes. I

Referringto Fig. 4, the roller 29 there shown is mounted ontrunnions 39 in the brackets 41 carried by the ring gears .7 and suitable helical springs 43 secured at one end to the brackets-encircle these trunnions and the other ends engage with the castell at- Having thus described detail invention as applied to the'p'articular' form of printi-ng'press here shown, the principles ex emplified' thereby which I claim as new and.

desire to secure by Letters Patent I shall ex ress in the following claims.

laims: I

1.'In :a device of the class described, a sheet support, means for drawing a sheet forward over said support by engagement withthe leading edge thereof and yieldable means extending rearwardly over the sheet from said drawing means and adapted to be displaced by the support thereby to smooth the sheet over the support. i 2. Ina device of the class described, a

sheet support, means for drawing asheet' 5 forward-over said support by engagement with the leading edge thereof and yieldably stretched strands extending rearwardly from said drawing means over-.the sheet and adapted to be bent outwardly by said suppor 3.111 a device of the class. described, "a i i convex sheet support, means for drawing a sheet forward oversaid support and strands extending rearwardly from said drawing means normally resiliently tending to assumea position corresponding to a chord ofv said support.

4. In "a device of the class described, a convex sheet support, means for drawing a sheet forward over saidsupport comprising a gripper bar engaging the. leading edge of the sheet, a barv at'the rear thereof and strands yieldably stretched between the bars.

5. In a device of the class described, a convex sheet support, means for drawing a sheet forward over said support comprising a gripper bar engaging the leading edge of the sheet, a spring roller at the rear thereof and strands extending between the bar and the roller.

6. In combination with a device for advancing a sheet by engagement with a leading edge thereof, a convex member to engage one face of the sheet, a member resiliently stretched inthe general direction of travel of the sheet, one of said members moving with the sheet and the other being stationary, the convex member serving to displace the stretched member as the two pass whereby to smooth the sheet over the convex member.

7. In combination with a device for advancing a sheet by engagement with a leading edge thereof, a convex surface over which the sheet is moved, and a yield-ably extended strand traveling with the sheet, the points between which it is tensioned located substantially to coincide with said surface.

8. A, press comprising printing couples ranged about a cylindrical path, supporting surfaces corresponding to segments of the cylinder, a gripper movable over the cylindrical surface to draw a sheet thereover and resilient devices moving with the sheet tending to assume a position located inwardly of said surface.

9. A press comprising printing couples ranged about a cylindrical path, supporting surfaces corresponding to segments ofthe cylinder, a gripper movable over the cylindrical surface to draw a sheet thereover and resiliently extended strands moving with the sheet normally tending to assume the position of chords to said surface.

10. In combination with means for drawing a sheet forwardly by the leading edge thereof, a support adapted to engage a face of the sheet in its travel and means to smooth the sheet comprising flexible means tensioned rearwardly from said drawing means over the opposite face of the sheet and adapted to be bent by said support.

11. A press comprising a plurality of rotary couples the lines of contact of which correspond to elements of a cylinder, intermediate supporting surfaces in the form of cylindrical segments, rotary rings at the bases of the cylinder, bars connecting them over the cylindrical surface, and flexible elements yieldably stretched between pairs of the bars.

12. A press comprising a plurality of rotary couples the lines of contact of which correspond to elements of a cylinder, intermediate supporting surfaces in the form of cylindrical segments, rotary rings at the bases of the cylinder, bars connecting them over the cylindrical surface, certain bars having gripper means for engaging a sheet, and flexible elements extending from said bars and secured to a following bar by resilient take up means.

13. The method of smoothing a sheet characterized by drawing it over a support while subject to the resistance of a yieldable element extended over a face thereof and moving therewith.

l t. The method of smoothing a sheet 16. A press comprising a gripper bar movable in an orbital path, flexible strands yieldably extended rearwardly from the bar, an interiorly disposed element having a portion presented in said path and sheet feed,- ing means comprising an element disposed interiorly of the orbit directly delivering the sheet to said gripper bar whereby the sheet passes between said strands and said interiorly disposed element.

17. In a device of the class described, a

convex sheet support, means for drawing a.

sheet forward over said support comprising a gripper bar engaging the leading edge of the sheet, a bar at the rear thereof and strands yieldably stretched between the bars and shiftable therealong.

18. In a press a convex sheet support and means for advancing a sheet over the support for printing comprising a slotted gripper bar engaging the leading edge of the sheet, a slotted spring roller at the rear thereof and strands extending between bar and roller having their ends secured in said slots.

19. In a device of the class described, a sheet support, means for drawing a sheet forward over said support by engagement with the leading edge thereof and yieldable means moving with said sheet and extending over the same adapted to be displaced by the support thereby to smooth the sheet over the support.

20. In a device of the class described a convex sheet support, means fol-drawing a sheet forward over said support by-engagement with the leading edge thereof, yieldable means overlying the sheet and travelling therewith normally tending to press the sheet inwardly and adapted to be displaced outwardly and shaped to the form of said support to smooth thesheet thereover.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification.

JOHN P. E. NEILSON. 

